1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a food service display cooler for display of food products for self-service by customers. The cooler provides a cooled frosted display surface and a blanket of cooled air above the food products. The cooler is particularly structured for easy cleaning and service.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Display units for presentation of perishable foods are used throughout the food industry, including supermarkets and restaurants. These units include refrigerated shelves and display cases.
The refrigerated shelves are simple devices that include cooling coils attached to their bottom surface so that the products placed on the shelves are cooled from the bottom. This type of shelf frequently is cold enough to create a frost coating on the shelf surface. However, refrigerated shelves leave the upper portion of the food containers spaced too far apart from the cooling source permitting contact with warm ambient air, resulting in food spoilage.
Some refrigerated cabinets attempt to put a shield of cooled circulating air across the front of the cabinet to prevent the ingress of warm ambient air into the interior of the cabinet. The air current is not secure enough or complete enough to prevent the ingress of ambient air into the interior of the cabinet and to adequately cool the food products.
In refrigerated counter displays, the cooling is accomplished by maintaining a forced circulation of cold air over the display surface and the containers housing the food that are placed on the display surface. This is frequently unsatisfactory as the cooled air does not always flow over all the food products, as some food products are shielded from the air flow; therefore, cooled air may also be passed underneath the display surface.
Not withstanding the existence of such prior art refrigerated units, it remains clear that there is a need for refrigerated units capable of cooling the display platform, cooling the air above the display platform, restricting the flow of ambient air into the air above the display platform, and providing easy access to the fan, to the coils, and to the pan for cleaning and servicing purposes.
The present invention relates to a food service display cooler for presentation of packaged and unpackaged food products for self-service by customers. Most simply stated, the cooler of this invention comprises a pan having a bottom, at least one side and an exterior surface. The pan is mountable to a support, which may comprise a stainless-steel frame, wood cabinetry or any suitable support system. A display platform is pivotally mounted to the pan so that the display platform comprises a top for the pan. The display platform itself has a top surface and a bottom surface. A first cooling coil is attached to the bottom surface of the display platform and a second cooling coil and fan are connected to the bottom of the pan such that the two cooling coils and the fan pivots with the display platform when it is pivoted between a closed and an open position. A condensing unit is connected in fluid flow communication with both cooling coils, and is connected to the exterior surface of the pan.
The invention accordingly comprises an article of manufacture possessing the features, properties, and the relation of elements which will be exemplified in the article hereinafter described, and the scope of the invention will be indicated in the claims.